HENRY VAN DE VELDE | Landscape at Kalmthout

Sale: Campo, Antwerp, 1957
Private collection, Belgium (and sold: Christie's, London, October 20, 1988, lot 40)
Philippe Massant, Brussels
Acquired from the above by the present owner in 1990

Zurich, Kunstgewerbemuseum, Henry van de Velde, 1963-1957 : Persönlichkeit und Werk, 1958, no. 10 (incorrectly described as oil on panel and dated circa 1891-92)
Hagen, Karl-Ernst-Osthaus-Museum (and travelling to Weimar, Berlin, Zurich, Gent and Nuremberg), Henry van de Velde: ein europäischer Künstler seiner Zeit, 1992-94
Brussels, Musées royaux d'Art et d'Histoire de Bruxelles; Weimar, Klassik Stiftung Weimar, Henry Van de Velde, Passion, Fonction, Beauté, 2013-14, no. 3.25 (Brussels), no. 39, illustrated in the catalogue p. 61
Weimar, Neues Museum, Leidenschaft, Funktion und Schönheit : Henry van de Velde und sein Beitrag zur europäischen Moderne, 2013, no. 165, illustrated in the catalogue p. 136 (under the title Kalmthout (Landschaftsstudie))

Susan Marie Canning & Jean-François Buyck, Henry van de Velde (1863-1957), Schilderijen en Tekeningen, Paintings and drawings (exhibition catalogue), Antwerp, 1987, illustrated p. 179 (under the title Kalmthout Landschapsstudie)

Executed on cream wove paper, not laid down and hinged to the mount at the upper corners with tape. The sheet is slightly undulating. Upper, left and lower edges are deckled with a few associated nicks (not visible when framed). There is a small paper loss to the lower right corner and two further minor paper losses to the left edge (also not visible when framed). The sheet is slightly light stained. Colours are fresh. This work is in overall good condition.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Henry van de Velde is best known as an architect and interior designer. Along with Victor Horta and Paul Hankar, he was one of the founders of Art Nouveau in Belgium. Yet he was also an accomplished painter, highly influenced by his friends, Georges Seurat and Paul Signac, and he was an important figure in the development of Neo-Impressionism. This magnificent watercolour, a very rare piece, depicts a landscape from the Antwerp region in true Divisionist style. It dates precisely from the year when Van de Velde joined the group Les XX and exhibited with them in Brussels. It was also during this period that he developed a long-lasting friendship with another pioneer of the Neo-Impressionist movement in Belgium, Theo van Rysselberghe.

This work will be inclued in the forthcoming Henry van de Velde catalogue raisonné being prepared by Xavier Tricot.